Reactions on Wednesday to the tripartite meeting between the two Cyprus leaders and the UN secretary-general in New York in the early hours was cautiously optimistic but not without the usual degree of one-upmanship.
Opposition Disy leader Annita Demetriou called it positive that the leaders had agreed to expanded informal meetings and discussion on opening new crossing points, plus the continued engagement by the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
“The result of the tripartite meeting is a positive step in the effort to restart meaningful negotiations for a solution to the Cyprus issue on the basis of the decisions and resolutions of the UN,” Demetriou said.
“We consider the determination and persistence of the UN secretary-general to be extremely important…”
Demetriou said the decision to expand the informal meetings with the participation of the three guarantor powers – Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom – was also particularly important as it touched on one of the more substantive issues of the Cyprus problem.
Former party leader Averof Neophytou, in a post on X said: “We had a relatively good result… I hope that we build on this positive development and do not stumble into different interpretations in relation to what ‘expanded’ compositions mean.” He also hailed the possibility of opening new crossings.
The other main opposition party, left-wing Akel said the party was still waiting for a complete briefing but lauded Guterres’ efforts, which he said seem to have been successful in two ways – the expanded meetings to include the guarantor powers, and news of additional crossings.
“The fact that [the UN] effort will continue is positive in itself,” he added.
“We must also see how the Greek Cypriot side can take advantage of this opportunity that is being created in the sense that there will be continuity in the discussion with the aim of breaking the deadlock,” he said.
“We should at every opportunity declare our consistency as the Greek Cypriot side to the agreed solution basis and that we want the negotiations to continue from the point where they were interrupted in 2017 in Crans-Montana.”
The Green Party also said it was waiting for a full briefing.
“Undoubtedly, holding the dinner is a positive step but it remains to be seen whether the dinner, albeit informal, had any substantial effect,” a statement from the party said.
It cited the opening of new crossings, which it added, could be arranged by the negotiators on both sides without the leaders needing to take time away from pursuing discussions that would lead to negotiations.
“After all, the opening of crossings does not essentially contribute to the resolution of the issues of substance in the Cyprus issue.”
The party also said that there was an unanswered question over Guterres’ response to Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar’s well-known position on a two-state solution.
“Why does the UN secretary-general avoid taking the occupying leader to task?”
On the Turkish Cypriot side, the head of the Republican Turkish Party Tufan Erhurman told journalists in the north, where the dinner was played down in some media, that the tripartite was not “something insignificant”.
“Turkish Cypriots do not want the dialogue to stop completely so we have to continue with diplomacy,” he said.
